ESR 42:1-5 (2020)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01034

ABSTRACT: Montane systems, formed by a series of climatic oscillations and temporal topographic metamorphoses, have broken up the contiguous distribution of widespread species and accelerated allopatric speciation. We used a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene to address speciation across the entire range of the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica. We demonstrated that the Siberian ibex is a polytypic species, plausibly formed by a combination of at least 2 species and/or 3 to 4 sub-species. Bayesian phylogeny showed that the Indian-Tajikistan (I-T) clade is adequately diverged from the other clades based on the mean intra-specific distance criterion, and warrants recognition as a distinct species. We provide pragmatic evidence for the endorsement of the I-T clade as a distinct species of Siberian ibex and urge prioritization of the conservation of this species at global and regional scales.

KEY WORDS: Siberian ibex · Alpine ibex · Phylogeography · Taxonomic revision · Genetic analysis · Conservation · IUCN Red List

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Cite this article as: Joshi BD, Jabin G, Sharief A, Kumar V and others (2020) Genetic evidence for allopatric speciation of the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica in India. Endang Species Res 42:1-5. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01034 Export citation Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn